Santaris Pharma A/S and Shire have extended their existing partnership for the development of therapies for rare genetic diseases. Shire will have the right to select additional targets for drug discovery and development. Santaris will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for research support, preclinical, clinical and sales milestones, as well as royalties on any products resulting from the collaboration.

Henrik Stage, president and chief executive officer at Santaris Pharma, said, "Our collaboration with Shire is very important to us so we are very pleased with the decision to extend the agreement and allow for more drug discovery and development programs. We believe the LNA drug platform offers a unique opportunity to develop drugs against the rapidly expanding number of disease targets in the rare genetic disorder space."

Albert Seymour, vice president of discovery research, Shire, said, "We are delighted with our partnership with Santaris, whose expertise and capabilities in LNA antisense therapy complement Shire's drug discovery and development strengths. Our hope is that the partnership will eventually translate into novel drugs that will help patients suffering from debilitating rare diseases lead better lives."